Photographs
by Calciferish
Summary: Perhaps taking pictures wasn't so bad, after all. -ULQUIHIME ONE SHOT- Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo


"Ulquiorraaa~ Come take a picture with me!" Orihime sang down the hall of their shared apartment, a newly purchased camera in hand. Ulquiorra turned and stared at the red-headed woman bouncing towards him. He had been living with the woman for almost a year now, after being revived and banished to the living world by Soul Society. Things had been relatively calm after Aizen's defeat, and the town of Karakura was enjoying a period of peace.

"Woman, I do not see the point of posing for an inanimate object. Much less smiling for it." Ulquiorra hated smiling. Even though the ex-espada had been in the living world for quite some time, there were still a few things that he didn't understand (technology being one of them). The woman merely stared at him, a large smile plastered on her face.

"Come on, Ulqui!"

"Don't call me that." Ulquiorra secretly loved when she called him 'Ulqui', but he would never admit it. At least not to her.

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease, Ulqui? Just one picture? I promise it'll be worth it! I could frame it! Maybe I could hang it in the hallway? Or perhaps by the door, so whenever we leave we can see it! Or maybe..." Ulquiorra sighed, tuning out the teenage girl's ramblings. She often got distracted when she was excited. Now was no exception. The pale skinned man cleared his throat, pulling Orihime from her wandering thoughts.

"I still do not understand your fascination with this 'camera', as you call it. There is no benefit to be reaped from having a photograph around the house, when we see each other every day. It would be the same as looking in a mirror." It was a ridiculous notion, really. Why couldn't the woman see that? The ex-espada sighed. A pout appeared on Orihime's face, only to quickly be replaced with a grin, and a small giggle.

"Ulquiorra, you're being silly! Don't you know what they say?" No, he did not know what they said. Who was 'they' anyway? Her friends? He turned his gaze towards her, his eyes displaying his confusion. Orihime's eyes met his, filled with joy. "A picture is worth a thousand words!" She looked quite pleased with herself. Did the woman want him to say a thousand words? Is that what you had to do in order to make a camera take a picture?

"Woman, if you are asking me to speak a thousand words in order to stand in front of a camera, your answer is no." His gaze was hard as he looked at her, studying her face as it scrunched up in amusement. She really did have a beautiful face—wait, what? There was no denying the woman was attractive, but Ulquiorra was supposed to be void of emotion. Still, a strange feeling flopped around in his stomach. What was happening to him?

"No, silly! That's just a saying! It means that a picture conveys a single moment, one that can never be duplicated! It's what memories are made of!" Orihime walked closer to the puzzled man before her. "All you have to do is smile, Ulqui! It's not that hard, I've seen you do it before." As if trying to show him what she meant, her lips curved upwards, in a shy smile. His eyes softened at the sight. One picture wouldn't hurt, he supposed. If it made the woman happy, it made him happy. She had a way of crawling into his heart, infecting him with that strange feeling he had in his stomach. I believe Quincy friend had described it as a 'fluttering' feeling. Ulquiorra had confronted said dark haired man about the strange sensation earlier in the week. Ishida just looked at him as though he was contemplating something, and then smiled. (Humans smiled a lot, he found in his time in the living world.) Ishida then mentioned something about 'love' (How absurd. Ulquiorra did not 'love'.) Sighing, Ulquiorra dismissed the thought from his head, obviously these human friends of Orihime's were delusional.

"So what do you say, Ulqui? Will you do it? Pleeease?" The red head was pouting, her lower lip quivering. Ulquiorra's eyes widened in shock. Surely she wouldn't cry. She couldn't be _that_ upset. It was just one picture, right? His stomach twisted. He did not like this look on her at all.

"Fine, woman. I will take a picture with you. How does one pose for such a thing?" Orihime's face instantly lit up, and Ulquiorra sighed, relieved. Crisis averted.

"You'll really do it?" Hadn't he just said yes? "Oh my gosh, I'm so happy! Come here, stand next to me! You have to lean in close, so we both fit in the picture. I can't wait, I'm going to have to buy a frame, and-"

"Woman. Let's just take the picture. I do not wish to partake in this any longer than is required." Ulquiorra stated. Orihime turned to him, nodding. Ulquiorra moved closer to the jubilant teenager, and the fluttery feeling returned. He almost withdrew when she put her arm around him, pushing his face unusually close to hers. He was sure that if he were anyone else, he would be blushing. But he wasn't. Espada don't blush. The woman's cheek brushed against his, and he could feel her auburn hair brush against his skin. It was very soft, much like his own. A sudden snapping sound pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Finished! See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Orihime chirped, turning to face him. No, he supposed it wasn't that bad. "Let's see how it turned out!" Her gaze turned towards the camera, as she tried to figure out how to view previously taken pictures. Finally, she got the camera in play back mode. "Aha! Here we go!" The woman exclaimed, taking the usually calm man by surprise. She shoved the camera towards him, urging him to look. He took it from her, his fingers brushing her delicate one, causing that annoying sensation to amplify. Studying the picture, he noticed that Orihime was smiling brightly, which was to be expected. However, as he looked towards his face, he almost dropped the camera, a small gasp escaping his mouth. Orihime turned towards him, curious as to what had gotten a reaction out of the emotionless 4th espada. Looking down, she grinned. Ulquiorra was _smiling_. So that's why he was so surprised, huh? It wasn't every day that you saw him grinning.

Ulquiorra blinked, frozen. He looked so relaxed and at ease in this picture. He was smiling at the camera, but his eyes were on the woman next to him. His heart clenched. Was he smiling because of the woman? Preposterous. Although, it had been happening more often recently… Perhaps the Quincy wasn't wrong. Maybe he was in 'love' with the woman. He glared at his stomach, willing the uneasy feeling to disappear. It didn't. He looked up to see Orihime staring at him, concerned. He had been zoned out on the picture for a minute or so, deep in thought. Finally, he spoke.

"This was an… interesting experience. The picture is very flattering of you. I would not be opposed to trying this activity again." He stated, as though he were reciting words from a book. However, there was a soft tone to it, making Orihime sigh. He could try to hide it all he wanted, but he _did_ have emotions, even if he didn't know it himself.

"Of course, Ulqui. We should do this more often! I can't wait to get this printed. Maybe we should take some at the park, maybe one with Tatsuki as well!" She started to drift off again. This time, however, Ulquiorra was not going to wait for her to return to Earth. He suddenly grabbed her tiny hands, shocking the woman. "Ulquiorra..?" Without hesitation, the ex-espada leaned in, his lips brushing hers. He had read about this in books, and seen it once in a movie the woman had insisted on dragging him to. He closed his eyes. It felt so… right. He pressed his lips against hers gently, waiting for her to respond. It didn't take long. Orihime wrapped her arms around Ulquiorra's neck, leaning closer into the kiss. When they finally pulled apart, Ulquiorra looked into her eyes.

"Thank you, Orihime." He whispered, smiling. Perhaps taking pictures wasn't so bad, after all.

-Fin-


End file.
